N-doped carbon-coated cobalt nanorod arrays supported on a titanium mesh as highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

N-doped carbon-coated cobalt nanorod arrays supported on a Ti mesh were prepared by a two-step procedure involving hydrothermal synthesis of Co3O4 nanorods followed by thermal reduction to metallic cobalt. The nanocomposites exhibited a remarkable catalytic activity that was comparable to that of leading commercial Pt/C catalysts.